We’ll be sending the Spring, 2013 newsletter to our members and partners in the Maumee Valley during the next few weeks. But, you can read it here, first!
Time to grab the binoculars, and take a walk in the Maumee Valley. This coming week is ideal for bird watching, as migrant warblers, vireos and others make their return to the Great Lakes, and the new leaves on the trees are still small enough not to obstruct the view above.
The Biggest Week in Birding in America is a weeklong festival at one of the best bird watching locations in the country. Walk in registration is still possible, according to the website:
“We will accept walk-in registrations at the festival registration table at Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center and at Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Cost for walk-in registration is $20. The registration table will be open from 7 A.M. – 7 P.M. Thursday, May 2nd through Friday, May 10th. Walk-in registration gains you access to the daily guided walks at Magee Marsh, evening socials at Maumee Bay Lodge, and discounts at dozens of participating local businesses.”
Other great spots in the Maumee Valley include:
Black Swamp Nature Center, Paulding
Farnsworth and Oak Openings Metroparks, Toledo area
Franke Park, Fort Wayne
The Maumee Valley Scenic Byway–a major program of the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor– is hosting this year’s Ohio Byway Links conference today and Friday. Welcome, to lovers of history, culture, nature, and recreation from all corners of Ohio. We’re looking forward to sharing our valley with you.
To learn more about the treasures to be found on scenic byways throughout Ohio, click here.
Join us at some great activities during 2013 and 2014. We’re looking for partner organizations to host these programs from MVHC. Send Angie an email if your organization is interested: maumeevalleyheritagecorridor@hotmail.com.
Upcoming Activities:
June 1, 2013 : National Trails Day: Angie Quinn, historian and naturalist/interpreter will present a program about the Layers of History of the Maumee River at the John Paulding Historical Society, in Paulding, 1pm, John Paulding Historical Society. At 2pm, Angie and Mark Holtsberry, the Education Specialist for the Paulding County Soil and Water Conservation District will lead a hike at the Black Swamp Nature Center, which will cover the cultural history of site (the former Great Lakes Sugar Company), and the natural history of the site has returned to nature over the last 60 years since the factory closed.
July 27, 2013—Tentative (we’re still looking for a funding source to help defray costs). MVHC will host a guided afternoon bus tour (from Fort Wayne, to Antwerp to Toledo) and then a guided tour of history of the lower Maumee River, aboard the Sandpiper Cruise vessel. Local Historian Fred Folger will lead the Sandpiper tour while Angie Quinn leads the bus tour.
August, 2013—MVHC board member Bill Grimes will provide a program about phosphorus and other water quality issues in the Maumee Valley at the Defiance County Fair.
September,2013—MVHC plans to present a about the challenges and opportunities that were historically associated with living in the Maumee Valley Watershed, with its wetlands, prairies, and forests.
October, 2013—Ohio environmental reporter Karen Schaefer will present a program about the history of water quality activities in northern Ohio, based on her research developed during a grant project with the Burning River Foundation in Cleveland. Schaefer has worked with WCPN, NPR, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Great Lakes Environmental Journalists organization. She has roots in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Oberlin, Ohio. Location TBA.
November 9, 2013—Educational Workshops, Keynote Presentation and MVHC Annual Meeting. Theme: The Role of the Landscape of the Maumee Valley in the War of 1812. Presenters and workshop topics will be finalized in July. Location TBA.
January, 2014 — Layers of History: The Immigration Story of the Maumee Valley, Toledo, Ohio. Location TBA.
February, 2014—Layers of History: Slavery and the Underground Railroad in the Maumee Valley, several locations, tentatively located in Sylvania, Lucas County (location TBA), Angola, Indiana, and at the African/African-American Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
March, 2014—Layers of History: Piracy in the Maumee Valley, locations TBA. This fun and educational program will discuss the difficulties of river and canal travel, the exploits of such individuals as Simon Girty, and other criminals along the Maumee and Auglaize rivers, and more.
April, 2014—History and Culture of the portage areas of the Maumee Valley, and their role in today’s environmental challenges. Angie Quinn will present with Betsy Yankowiak, the Director of Preserves for the Little River Wetland Project in Fort Wayne. Eagle Marsh, Fort Wayne, and an Ohio location TBA.
May 2014: Layers of History: The Fallen Timbers Story. Meeting loation TBA. A tour of the Fallen Timbers Memorial and an update on public access for the battlefield site nearby will be included.
The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Program will offer training at Camp Palmer in Fulton County, August 20-September 5. For more information call 419-237-2247.
http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=867324
http://journalgazette.net/article/20130303/LOCAL/303039940/0/SEARCH
Thanks for stopping by. We hope you enjoy our new website format, and easily find the information that you seek. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.
Got a special event that you’d like to highlight on our site? Drop us a line at maumeevalleyheritagecorridor@gmail.com and we’ll post your event on our events calendar.
